Third Time's the Charm
by vertigoSWAY
Summary: Post-505. The Doctor ushers Amy back to the TARDIS and tells him why he can't and doesn't return her feelings. References to 9, 10, Human!10 and Rose Tyler.


**AmyxDoctor's just too weird for me. But I'm not the biggest Doctor/Rose fan either. Whatever...

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Amy once again tried to corner the Doctor as they both reentered the TARDIS. The Time Lord merely pushed her off – a bit forcefully might Amy add. She pouted silently as she watched the Doctor stepped to the console and begin fiddling with the controls. "Go change into something," he ordered darkly, "You smell like catacombs."

Amy wondered how you could smell like a catacomb, but she obeyed anyway. Winding down the hallways and turning ten times, she finally reached the enormous wardrobe. Skirting among haphazardly discarded clothes and shirt racks, she came to somewhere in the middle of the room. She selected a gray camisole and little-longer-than-usual miniskirt. She searched among the racks for a shirt and found one. Then she searched for some leggings, pulling a scarf out with them, just to tie it all together.

When she pulled that red scarf down, another one came down with it, along with a little red booklet. Amy ignored the other scarf and picked up the other thing that had dropped. It was a passport. Curious, she opened it up and looked inside. The holder was a girl named "Rose Tyler" who looked about Amy's age. The birthday printed would indicate that they really were close in age. The only thing was, the passport was four years expired.

Putting the scarf on and reentering the main room of the TARDIS, Amy asked, "Doctor, what's this?" She held it up and to him for her to see. He visibly stiffened and snatched the passport away, sticking it in his pocket.

"Nothing," he replied hastily.

"Did she travel with your before?" Amy pressed on. A notion popped into her head. "Was she your girlfriend?"

"Amelia!" the Doctor snapped. Amy froze in an instant. "Sorry," he apologized immediately.

"I asked," Amy replied. "I should be sorry."

The Doctor pulled out a stethoscope from nowhere and beckoned Amy over. He gave her the medical instrument. "Put it on," he told her. Amy obeyed. The Doctor guided the chestpiece and told her to listen. First, he placed it on the left side of his chest. Amy heard the _ba bump, ba bump_ of a heartbeat. Then the Doctor reflected the position over to the right side. To Amy's astonishment, she heard the same _ba bump, ba bump_ again.

"I'm a Time Lord. Last of the Time Lords," he explained when Amy removed the earpieces. "I've got two hearts. I look human and everything, but I've got two hearts. That means I can regenerate. Cheat death. Live for as long as I'm careful. I'm sorry that you think you feel something for me, but right now, those two hearts are beating for someone else. Her name, is Rose Tyler."

Amy thought about the passport. "She traveled with you?"

"Yes."

"Where is she now?"

"Gone. Trapped. Parallel world, but happy."

"She didn't love you back?" Amy asked, wondering what kind of woman would miss what was in front of their eyes.

"She's not there by choice, Amy," scolded the Doctor gently. "She's got someone over there with her. Me, but kind of not me."

"What happened?"

"She changed me. When she found me, I was mad, angry. Survivor's guilt, whatever you want to call it. I came out of a war, the Time War. A war of my people against the Daleks and I was the only one to survive, or so I thought at the time. I took Rose along with me and she made me better. Look at me. I go around calling myself the Doctor and a little human girl makes me feel better." The Doctor took a breath. "Then I lost her and I found her again. But she couldn't stay. I couldn't stay with her even though I wanted to. I can live for centuries, she- barely one."

"You said she was happy," Amy said.

"I hope. In a parallel world, living with a human me. And that's all I need Amy, is for her to be happy and me to know that she is."

"So you're just going to deny yourself any love?"

"Weren't you listening?" the Doctor asked. "I still love her. It's been three lives, and I still love her."


End file.
